Lending a Helping Hand
by Lissical
Summary: Who will she turn to when she needs help?
1. Default Chapter

She sat there on the steps crying. It was so embarrassing, she kept thinking to herself; being left alone at the prom, just because she didn't want to do anything more than go to the dance with him. So what did he do? He left her at the school, in her new dress that she had just gotten two days ago.  
  
She dug her cell phone out of her purse and began to dial her parent's phone number. Before she could finish dialing, however, she stopped. What was she thinking? Her parents would not only kill her, but they would never let her date again, let alone go to a dance, even in a group. Trying to think of someone else, Hogan found a little piece of paper that had fallen out of her purse when she took out her phone. She bit her lip and slowly dialed the number, hoping he wouldn't kill her.  
  
~*~  
  
'What the heck,' he thought to himself as he got up out of bed and walked over to his dresser. He picked up the phone, which he had absent-mindedly left over there, and turned it on. "Hello," he said.  
  
"S-Simon," a shaky voice said.  
  
He tried to think of why that voice sounded so familiar. "Hogan?"  
  
"Yeah...it's me. I-I..." How was she going to tell him that she was alone at the school without adult supervision, not to mention the fact that she was outside?  
  
"Hogan, what's going on," he asked, now concerned. He had only met her once, but knew her voice a little too well to know that she was all right.  
  
She took a deep breath. "Promise you won't yell?"  
  
"I promise. Now what's going on?" He sat back down on the bed.  
  
"I didn't want to do what he wanted to do, so he left me here. Craig, that is. My date. He just left me here, outside the school." A few tears started to fall down the side of her face. "Simon, will you please come get me? I'd call my parents, but they would flip out, I know it."  
  
He just sat there for a moment. "Uh...what about your aunt? Don't you think she could help you out?"  
  
"I can't tell her! She'd kill me even more! I mean she's the one who warned me about him. Please, Simon, will you come get me?"  
  
"Okay, okay, sit tight. I'll be there soon."  
  
She took a shaky deep breath. "Thank you," she said quietly.  
  
"Everything is going to be all right, Hogan, trust me, okay?" He stood up and looked for something to throw on.  
  
"Okay." She said in almost a whisper. "Thank you."  
  
"No problem. I'll be there soon," he said in a soothing voice.  
  
"Yeah. Bye." She turned her phone off and sat back down and waited for him to come.  
  
Throwing on a pair of jeans and a West Point t-shirt, Simon grabbed his shoes, put them on, and searched for his keys, which ended up being under the phone. He quickly left the small apartment and drove over to Hogan's high school.  
  
~*~  
  
Hogan stood up when she saw an approaching car. It had to be him. He was the only person she knew of who drove a black Suburban with tinted windows.  
  
Simon turned off the car and got out and walked around to where Hogan was standing. "See, I told you I'd be here." He gave her a small smile and helped her into the SUV.  
  
"Thank you," she said when he got back into the car.  
  
"Like I said, you're welcome. Let's get you home, okay," he said as he pulled back into the street.  
  
"NO!" She yelled, causing Simon to swerve and almost lose control of the car.  
  
He pulled over to the side of the road, put the car in park, and looked over at her. "What do you mean? Won't your parents be worried?"  
  
"They aren't expecting me. Aunt CJ is. She said that I could go over there after the prom since she lives closer to the school than I do. If you take me home, my parents--"  
  
"Will know something's wrong," he finished for her. "Okay, Aunt CJ's it is," he said as he put the car back into drive and drove to CJ's apartment.  
  
~*~  
  
Pacing around, CJ contemplated calling the police. It was 1:00am, and she still hadn't come back. Even though the stalker had been caught, CJ still felt as if she had a duty to take special care of Hogan. She was about to pick up the phone when there was a knock at the door. CJ nearly ran to it and opened it. "Oh thank G-d you're all right!" She said as she threw her arms around Hogan.  
  
"I'm fine, Aunt CJ," Hogan said, in tears once again.  
  
It was then that CJ noticed Simon standing behind Hogan. "If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?" She smiled softly at him.  
  
"Well, it's a bit of a long story," he said, looking at Hogan.  
  
"Oh...right." Hogan said, remembering the promise she made to Simon. "Aunt CJ, I need to talk to you."  
  
"Okay, let's go in the living room." She looked back up at Simon. "Thanks for bringing her back."  
  
"Um, is it all right if he stays? I might need protecting after I tell you about what happened..."  
  
"Okay..." CJ said with a confused look on her face. She opened the door further and gestured for Simon to come in as well. "So, what happened?"  
  
TBC????? 


	2. 2

Hogan looked nervously at Simon who simply raised his eyebrows. "Come on," he said. "You have to tell her."  
  
"Okay," CJ said. "You two are making me very nervous. What the hell happened that you are so afraid to tell me?!" She nearly yelled.  
  
CJ's tone made Hogan run behind Simon. "Aunt CJ, p-please don't y-yell," she said in a shaky voice.  
  
Simon looked at her. She really was pretty sexy when she yelled. He quickly put the thought aside and looked down at Hogan and back up at CJ. "Will you kindly stop scaring her to death? She's upset enough as it is," he said sternly.  
  
CJ flinched at his tone of voice. "Okay," she said in her 'normal' voice. "Hogan, what happened?" She held out her hand for Hogan to take so she could sit next to CJ.  
  
Hogan took a deep breath. "Basically, when I didn't do what Craig wanted to do...you know, go a little further than just a goodnight kiss, he-he..." She couldn't seem to continue, for tears started to roll down her face again.  
  
CJ grabbed a tissue and handed it to Hogan. She put her arms around her and held her. "It's okay," she said in a gentle voice. "Don't be afraid to tell me."  
  
She nodded slowly and wiped her eyes. "He started calling me all these names and tried to force himself on me...Then he said that I was just a waste of time and left with his friends, leaving me at the school...alone..."  
  
Simon cleared his throat. "Hogan, wasn't there something you left out there?" He looked at her. "You've got to tell her."  
  
"Tell me what," CJ said, now getting worried.  
  
"Well, he sort of...he--"  
  
CJ put her hand over her mouth. "Oh no, he didn't r--"  
  
"No, he didn't do that." Hogan looked at Simon. 'I'm afraid to tell her,' she mouthed to him.  
  
Simon moved so that he was now sitting on the other side of Hogan. He took her hand. "It's okay," he whispered.  
  
"What's going on here," CJ asked, now very concerned.  
  
Slowly, Hogan took off the jacket that came with the dress. She couldn't seem to stop shaking with fear. "He sort of-h-he--" She took a deep breath. "He hit me," she whispered as she took the jacket off completely, showing CJ the rather large bruise on her upper left arm.  
  
"Holy sh--"  
  
"CJ, I don't think now is the best time for that kind of language," Simon said as he looked over at her.  
  
She nodded. "Right." She then looked at Hogan, then at Simon, and back at Hogan again. "You told him?" She asked, confused.  
  
"Yes," Hogan whispered. "I'm sorry, Aunt CJ, I didn't know what to do. He was the first person I thought of. I'm so sorry." She said as she started to cry softly.  
  
CJ put her arm around her. "It's all right, I'm not angry, just surprised that you called him," she said, gesturing over to Simon.  
  
"Well, he is with the Secret Service. I knew that if I called him and brought me back here that you wouldn't be able to get as angry, since he is- was your bodyguard."  
  
Simon looked up at CJ and shrugged. "Hey, at least she called."  
  
"How did she get your phone number," CJ asked.  
  
"As we were waiting for you to change back into your regular clothes at the department store, I told her that if she noticed anyone following her to call me. So I gave her my number."  
  
"She was afraid that someone was following her?"  
  
"Um, I'm still here you know," Hogan said.  
  
CJ looked at her. "Did he hit you anywhere else?"  
  
Hogan looked at Simon and bit her lip. "Uh..."  
  
"Go on, tell her," Simon said.  
  
She took a deep breath a slowly pushed her hair away from the back of her neck."  
  
"Holy sh--"  
  
"CJ, what did I just say about the language," Simon said.  
  
She rolled her eyes and looked back at Hogan. "Why don't you go change into your pajamas and get ready for bed."  
  
"All right." She stood up. "I'm sorry, Aunt CJ." She hugged her.  
  
"Don't be sorry, it's all right," CJ said, hugging her back.  
  
Hogan turned to Simon. "Thank you for coming to get me." She smiled softly and put both her hands on his, not sure if it would be right to hug him or not.  
  
"No problem," he said, freeing his hands and hugging her. "Just don't wait so long next time."  
  
She nodded and went to the guest room, leaving CJ and Simon alone.  
  
TBC... 


	3. 3

CJ looked over at Simon. "So, you brought her here," CJ stated.  
  
"Yes, that I did do," he said, smiling softly.  
  
"Well, thanks. I just wonder why she didn't call me. I mean, she knows I would have come and gotten her in two seconds."  
  
Simon raised his eyes at her. "Oh really? And just how calm would you be?"  
  
She leaned forward. "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean did you hear what you said just a few minutes ago? You were completely flipping out. You would have scared her to death."  
  
"Look, she's my niece and I love her. I look out for her...I mean, all I want is for her to be happy." CJ said as she stood up.  
  
"CJ, I know you love her, but I don't think you would have helped the situation by going nuts over it," he stated simply.  
  
She sighed and turned to him. "Look. *I* am her aunt. You are *not* her uncle or her father. You're just a Secret Service agent." She said, her voice rising.  
  
Simon stood as well, "I'm sorry, CJ but it was her who called me, not the other way around. She probably knew that you were going to act like this!"  
  
"Act like what?!"  
  
"Like an overbearing parent or something."  
  
She put her hands on her hips. "Don't you go telling me how to act around my niece. She is almost seventeen years old. She's almost an adult for crying out loud!"  
  
"Yes, and yet you're treating her like she's five!"  
  
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," CJ snapped.  
  
~*~  
  
She had heard everything. Every single word out of both of them. 'How could I have been so stupid?!' Hogan thought to herself. All she wanted to do was get a ride home.  
  
~*~  
  
"Okay, you know what? I think you should leave now," CJ said as she picked up Simon's coat.  
  
"CJ, I was only trying to help her," he said as he caught the coat that was thrown at him.  
  
"It was my choice! I called Simon, Aunt CJ! I could have called you, but I didn't!" Hogan yelled as she nearly ran into the living room. I'm sorry, okay? Is that what you want to hear?"  
  
CJ was speechless. "Hogan, I-I'm sorry...I was just--"  
  
"Looking out for me? Yeah, that's what you said before. Simon was doing the same thing! Why else do you think he got out of bed and drove all the way to my school and then drive all the way back here?" She now had tears in her eyes again. "Just...quit blaming him! It's not his fault for watching out for me!" She ran back to her room and slammed the door.  
  
CJ sat down on the sofa. "Great," she muttered.  
  
Simon remained standing. "I'll be right back," he said as he walked towards the room in which Hogan was staying. He knocked on the door.  
  
"Go away, Aunt CJ. I don't feel like talking to you right now!" She yelled from the bed.  
  
He opened the door. "It's not CJ, and I think you *should* talk to someone right now," he said as he walked into the room.  
  
She looked over at him. "She always does this. She acts just like my father and treats me like I'm three years old." She still had tears falling down her face.  
  
Simon grabbed a couple of tissues and handed them to her. "I know she can be a little overbearing sometimes, but she's only doing that because she loves you."  
  
"If she really loved me, she wouldn't watch my every move. She'd be a lot more lenient if she loved me." She wiped her eyes.  
  
"Hogan, she does that because you're very special to her. I mean...you're her only niece."  
  
Hogan looked up at him. "How did you know that?"  
  
"I was protecting her for nearly a month. I learned a little bit about her background while doing so."  
  
"Oh...right." She smiled very softly. "Now I've probably made her lose all of her trust in me," she said as the tears started again. "She is probably on the verge of hating me if she doesn't already."  
  
He shook his head and sat down on the bed. "No, she doesn't hate you." He chuckled a little.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"You and her are so much alike. You don't want her following you around everywhere and so you yell at her. She did the same thing to me."  
  
"Yeah but you were ordered to protect her."  
  
"In a way, she has been ordered to do the same thing with you, at least while you're here." He looked at her, knowing that what he just said was right.  
  
She shrugged. "I guess..." She took a deep breath. "Simon?"  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Will she forgive me?"  
  
"Of course she will. I don't think she's even mad at you to be honest."  
  
She nodded, "Yeah..."  
  
CJ stood outside the door, having heard the entire conversation. Was she really like that? Did she really treat her niece like a little kid? She sighed and went back into the living room, trying to think of the right thing to say to both Hogan and Simon.  
  
TBC... 


	4. 4

Hogan walked into the living room to where CJ was sitting. Simon stayed back so he wouldn't interfere with their conversation.  
  
"Aunt CJ?" Hogan said quietly.  
  
CJ looked up at Hogan. "Hey there."  
  
Shifting her feet uneasily, Hogan was unsure of what to say. She looked up at Simon, who nodded for her to go on. She sat down across from CJ. "I just wanted to say that I'm ... I'm really sorry, Aunt CJ," she said, her voice beginning to break.  
  
CJ moved over to where Hogan was sitting and put her arms around her. "It's all right, you don't have anything to be sorry for."  
  
"Yes I do. I treated you like dirt earlier. I shouldn't have said what I said to you." She replied, still crying.  
  
CJ sighed. "Honey, if anyone has to be sorry here, it's me. I shouldn't have treated you like a six year old. I just worry about you, a lot."  
  
"I know, but I'm not a little kid anymore. I'm almost seventeen and I know what I'm doing, most of the time." Hogan looked at her aunt.  
  
"I know, but when I saw that bruise on your neck and shoulder, I didn't know what to think. I got angry that you didn't call me, but then I realized that you at least called Simon. You did the right thing." CJ put an arm around Hogan and hugged her.  
  
"Um, one other thing."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Will you forgive Simon? I mean he was only trying to help. I was the one who called him to come and pick me up from the school. He was only doing what I asked him to do." Hogan looked towards Simon.  
  
CJ looked over at Simon as well and back at Hogan. "I guess I did act a little weird when he said he was just trying to help..."  
  
"A little weird? Aunt CJ, you almost jumped at his throat."  
  
"Since when did you become the adult here?" CJ asked with a small smile.  
  
She shrugged. "I don't know. When the two of you started yelling at each other, I guess."  
  
"Okay. You know, it's 2:30 in the morning. I think you should try to get some sleep."  
  
"Okay. Just promise me one thing," Hogan said as she stood up.  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Forgive him." She smiled at CJ and hugged and kissed her goodnight. "Night, Simon," she said as she passed by him. "And thank you," she whispered. She walked into her room and closed the door.  
  
CJ got up and gestured for Simon to come over to where she was. "Look, I...I shouldn't have acted the way I did. I'm sorry about that."  
  
He smiled. "I know you are. But CJ, you have to realize that she's not a little kid anymore."  
  
"Yeah, I got that speech already."  
  
He nodded, "I know."  
  
"So what did the two of you talk about in there?" CJ inquired.  
  
"You."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Do you see anyone else in the room," he joked.  
  
"Ha ha, very funny."  
  
"Yeah, well we talked about how you need to start treating her like an adult, not a little kid. She was pretty upset, not to mention hurt."  
  
She shook her head. "I didn't mean to hurt her feelings--"  
  
"You didn't hurt her feelings," he interrupted. "You hurt her pride."  
  
She looked up at him. "Oh."  
  
"Yeah. You just need to know that she loves you more than you'll ever know, CJ. And when you talked to her like that, it just really hurt her. She said you were acting a lot like her father."  
  
CJ gave him a strange look. "Her father? My brother?"  
  
"Her father is your brother, right?"  
  
"Quit joking."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"I didn't know Michael treated her like that."  
  
He saw the look of confusion in CJ's face. "CJ, there's a reason she always loves coming here."  
  
"Of course. I'm her favorite aunt." She smiled softly.  
  
"Well, that's part of it, I guess." He looked down at the floor.  
  
"What's the other part?" When he didn't answer, she took her hand and put it under his chin and lifted his head up. "Simon? What's the other part?"  
  
He hesitated for a few moments. "She told me that her step-mother isn't the easiest person to talk to. Apparently she always shoos her away."  
  
"She does?"  
  
"That's what Hogan told me."  
  
She sighed. She never knew that about Kelly. She always thought that everything was always fine there. "Wow. She never told me that."  
  
"Well, I'm telling you now."  
  
She shook her head. "How did you learn this?"  
  
"While I was driving her back here. She didn't want me to say anything, but after I talked to her just now, I basically convinced her that one of us should tell you."  
  
"Oh." CJ stood up and began to pace around the room.  
  
"CJ, don't think that Hogan was trying to conceal anything from you. If anything, she's concealing it from her father."  
  
She nodded. "Yeah. The only question is what do I do now?"  
  
"That's up to you." He said as he stopped her from pacing and helped her back to the sofa.  
  
TBC... 


	5. 5

CJ had stayed up nearly all night, trying to figure out what to say to Kate, Hogan's stepmother. What was there to say? 'Hey I think you're a lousy parent?' CJ shook that out of her head. She knew she couldn't say that.  
  
Hogan woke up to the smell of pancakes. She sat up quickly, for she knew her aunt couldn't cook. A small smile crept on to her face. She got out of bed and walked into the kitchen, only to see CJ sitting at the table and Simon...cooking.  
  
"Hey, sleepy head," CJ said when she saw Hogan.  
  
"Morning, Aunt CJ." Hogan walked to the table and sat down next to CJ. "How long has he been here?"  
  
"Well, he never left..."  
  
Hogan raised her eyebrows. "Oh?" She looked up at Simon. "Good thing you're here."  
  
Simon turned to face Hogan. "And why is that?"  
  
"Well, I don't think I could eat anything that Aunt CJ cooked." She saw the look in CJ's eyes and laughed.  
  
"What is so funny," CJ asked when she saw not only Hogan laughing, but Simon as well.  
  
"I can't believe she said that," Simon said as he flipped the pancakes once more.  
  
"I'm going to go get dressed," Hogan said as she rose from her chair.  
  
"What about breakfast," CJ asked.  
  
"I'll eat when I come back." She rushed out of the room.  
  
Simon brought the now finished pancakes to the table. "So what are you going to tell her?"  
  
She looked up at him. "You just have to ruin everything, don't you?"  
  
"CJ, I'm just trying to--"  
  
"I know, I know. I stayed up all night, trying to figure out what the right thing to say was. I never came up with a good answer. I mean, what do you say to someone who isn't being a good parent? 'Hey you suck at being a parent?'"  
  
He shrugged. "Well, I don't know if I would use those exact words, but that sounds about right." He sighed, "CJ I know you know what the right thing to do is. It has to come from here." He gestured to his heart.  
  
She nodded, "Why do you always have to be right?"  
  
"I don't know, it's in my blood I guess." He smirked.  
  
"Shut up." She laughed quietly. "What do I say to Hogan though? She doesn't even know that I know."  
  
"Well, there's something else you'll have to figure out."  
  
"Gee, you're such a help," she said sarcastically.  
  
"Thank you." He put two pancakes on CJ's plate and two on his own and the two started to eat.  
  
A few minutes later, Hogan emerged from her room. "Back." She sat down at the table and took a pancake and set it on her plate, but didn't eat it. Instead, she just kept poking her fork in it.  
  
"You all right," CJ asked when she noticed Hogan's obvious lack of appetite.  
  
"Hmm? Oh, yeah. I'm fine." She took a small bite of her breakfast.  
  
CJ decided not to pursue the issue any further. She knew what was really wrong. "So, what do you think of me taking you home at around 1:00 today?"  
  
"I guess." She said flatly.  
  
CJ turned to Simon who simply nodded. 'What is that supposed to mean,' she thought to herself.  
  
"I think I'll go put my dress back in the garment bag I brought." Hogan excused herself from the table, having eaten only a fourth of her breakfast and went into her room and closed the door.  
  
CJ turned to Simon. "What do I do now?"  
  
TBC... 


	6. 6

"Knock, knock," CJ said as she opened the door to the room Hogan was in.  
  
"Come in," she said quietly.  
  
CJ walked into the room and sat on the bed. "So, Simon told me about home. You know, about what has been going on."  
  
Hogan walked from the closet to where CJ was sitting on the bed. "Yeah he said he was going to tell you. It's really not a big deal," she said as she tried to cover up her emotions.  
  
"But it is, Hogan. I don't want to see this happen to you. You don't deserve it."  
  
She shrugged. "Maybe I do. I mean, I am kind of annoying at home, and I guess I do get in her way a lot..."  
  
"No. Don't say that." CJ said firmly. "When someone needs help or just needs to talk to someone, the other person should be there for them, listen to what they have to say, and most importantly, give the person advice on how to fix the problem." She paused. "Is that why you're here a lot of the time?"  
  
"I...Yes." Tears began to form in her eyes. "It's just that...She doesn't care whether or not I have a new boyfriend or when I break up with someone. She just cares about her daughter." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "I feel like Cinderella, only without having to clean the whole house by myself."  
  
CJ reached for the tissue box and handed her a tissue. "Why didn't you say anything about this?" She asked in a soothing voice.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I thought you would just say something like, 'It's not a big deal, just get over it.'" She looked at CJ.  
  
"You know I wouldn't say anything like that." She put her arms around Hogan and held her. "We can go there together you know. I can talk to her if you'd like."  
  
Hogan looked up at CJ. "You would do that?"  
  
"Of course. I'm the cool aunt, remember?"  
  
Hogan laughed a little. "Yeah..."  
  
"So how about you finish getting dressed, as I see you haven't even started to get out of your pajamas, and we'll go over there together, okay?"  
  
She nodded, "Thanks."  
  
"Of course." CJ kissed the top of Hogan's head and walked to the door. "Just let us know when you're ready to go."  
  
"Okay."  
  
CJ walked back into the kitchen, only to find Simon doing the dishes. "I should hire you as my maid," she said as she walked up behind him and put her arms around him.  
  
He turned around to face her. "Ha, ha, very funny." He kissed her gently on the lips. "So, how did your talk go?"  
  
"Pretty well. I think she's starting to gain confidence. Or at least she seems relieved that someone is going to talk to her stepmother."  
  
"You know that she really looks up to you, right?" He smiled.  
  
"Well, she is only 5'5" so that could--"  
  
"You know what I mean," he said, trying not to laugh.  
  
"Yes, I know what you mean." She sat down at the table and waited for Hogan to come out of her room so they could go.  
  
Simon walked over to her. "You okay?"  
  
"Yeah, it's just that...I don't know why my brother hasn't caught on to this. I know that his job requires him to do a lot of traveling, but he is home some of the time."  
  
He put his hands on her shoulders. "Maybe she, meaning Kate, only ignores Hogan when he's not around. Kind of like that talking frog in those cartoons."  
  
She hit his hand. "Shut up."  
  
"Ouch. And okay." He sat down next to her and waited for Hogan to come out.  
  
Hogan slowly got dressed. As she took off her pajama top, she looked in the mirror at her back. It was healing, sort of. The cover up about her date hitting her worked well. No one would ever find out that it was Kate who was doing this to her...  
  
TBC... 


	7. 7

Hogan walked out of the room and into the living room where CJ and Simon were waiting. She couldn't tell them that it wasn't the date that had laid a hand on her. They were mad enough, she thought. "I'm sorry I took so long," she said as she tried to smile.  
  
"Don't worry about it," Simon said. "We're in no hurry." He smiled and put an arm around her, his hand on the bruise on her shoulder.  
  
"Ouch!" She said as she moved away quickly. 'Stupid! How could I have been so dumb!' She thought. Now she knew they would grill her.  
  
Simon looked at her. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you or something," he asked, concerned.  
  
"Uh, no. I just slept in a weird position and my shoulder hurts from it." There. That should work.  
  
CJ stood up from her place on the sofa. "You sure you're all right? Because if you're not feeling all right, you can stay here a little longer."  
  
"No, that's okay, Aunt CJ. Thank you for the offer though." She smiled a little and rubbed her shoulder.  
  
Simon, who had been watching Hogan this entire time, wasn't buying it. "Hogan, why don't you tell us the truth," he said in a soft yet firm voice, almost like a father's voice.  
  
"What do you mean," she asked nervously.  
  
"I think you know."  
  
"Simon, what is going on," CJ asked as she looked at the two.  
  
He looked at Hogan. "You say that the bruise we saw last night was from your date. That he hit you. Am I correct?"  
  
"Y-Yes." What was he getting at?  
  
"Uh-huh." He walked around to the other side of her. "That's kind of strange because I saw the bruise on your back. You didn't say anything about your shoulder being hurt as well." He put his hand on the shoulder that wasn't hurting. "Is there something you need to tell us?"  
  
CJ cupped her mouth with her hand. "Hogan, what are you not telling us?" She asked, now extremely concerned.  
  
"I still don't know what you're talking about!" Hogan said in a rather loud voice. "I told you, I slept in a weird position last night and now my shoulder hurts."  
  
"You don't need to raise your voice." Simon said. "Come on, let's sit down on the sofa and talk." He motioned for CJ to follow.  
  
Hogan looked at the two. "There's nothing new to tell you. I already told you what happened last night." She hated this. She hated lying to her aunt and to Simon. He was almost like her uncle.  
  
"Honey, if there's something going on that we should know about, don't be afraid to tell us. It's not like we're going to yell at you or anything like that," CJ said in a soft voice.  
  
Simon nodded in agreement. "She's right. You shouldn't be afraid to say anything about what is going on."  
  
She sighed. She knew that it was now or never. "I didn't exactly tell you the whole truth last night," she said, quivering.  
  
Simon put his arm around her as CJ grabbed a tissue and handed it to her.  
  
"Tell us now then," Simon said as he wiped her eyes.  
  
She took a deep breath and looked at the two. "Sometimes I get on Kate's nerves. I guess I sometimes bother her a little too much or something." There were more tears forming in her eyes as she spoke. "Two days ago, when we were out shopping for clothes, I saw something that I really liked. I guess that Angela, my stepsister," she said, mostly to Simon, "wanted the same thing. So I looked to see if there was another shirt that was the same size, since we both wear a medium." More tears flowed down her face. "There wasn't, and I said to Angela in a polite manner that I had seen the shirt first and that there were many others just like it on the rack. She wanted the one I was holding though, so she went over to her mother and told her. Kate walked over to me and said that the shirt wasn't something that I would wear, and that it would look better on Angela. I told her that I really liked the shirt though. She didn't listen though. All she did was yell at me for being selfish. So I gave the shirt to Angela and started looking for another one when Kate came up to me and said that we were done shopping. I said that I hadn't gotten a chance to find a shirt for myself and that I really wanted to get something. She ignored me though. When we got home, Angela went and tried on the shirt. She walked over to me and bragged about how much better the shirt looked on her." There was now a steady flow of tears coming down her face. "I ignored her since I really didn't care how it looked. So she goes and tells Kate that I'm being rude to her." She rubbed her sore shoulder. "So Kate walks over to me and tells me to never be snobby to her daughter. Before I could say anything, she hit me. here." She showed them the bruise.  
  
CJ and Simon just sat there, not knowing what to say or think. CJ finally broke the silence. "Has this happened before?"  
  
Hogan didn't have to say anything for them to know. Her face was now buried in her hands as she let out a small, "Yes."  
  
CJ moved so that she was on the other side of Hogan. She looked at Simon, who kept his main focus on Hogan. He looked up at CJ and knew that something had to be done.  
  
TBC... 


	8. 8

Hogan looked at Simon and CJ. "No, if you're thinking of doing what I am thinking you are going to do, don't. Please, I'm begging you, Aunt CJ."  
  
"Hogan, I can't let her do this to you. Not only is she hurting you verbally, but she hit you!"  
  
Simon turned to CJ. "I don't think it's a good idea to yell right now."  
  
"Well what the hell am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch as my niece keeps getting hurt by her step-mother?!" She sat down. "I'm sorry, but I can't let this keep happening to you, Hogan. Something has got to be done."  
  
"Please, Aunt CJ I'll work it out with her," Hogan pleaded.  
  
"Does your father know about this, Hogan?" Simon asked.  
  
She didn't say anything for a moment. "No..."  
  
"That's it," CJ said, standing up. "I am going to talk to him about this right now."  
  
Simon nodded. "For once I'm agreeing with you." He turned to Hogan. "I'm sorry, but we are going to take you back to your house and have a little chat with your father."  
  
"We? Who's 'we,'" CJ asked.  
  
"Me. I would like to meet this Kate. I think she and I have a few things to discuss."  
  
"No! Simon, please," Hogan said. "You can't do that. Please don't do that. She'll just get even more mad and...and..."  
  
"And what? Hit you again? Yell at you? Hogan, I'm not going to let her do that to you," he said.  
  
Feeling defeated, Hogan silently got her things from the guest bedroom and the three of them went over to Hogan's house.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this," CJ asked as they got out of the car.  
  
"Yes, very sure," he said.  
  
They walked up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell.  
  
"I could have done that myself, Aunt CJ. I have a key."  
  
"Doesn't matter," she said.  
  
The door then opened. "CJ! How nice to see you, finally." Michael Cregg said as he hugged his little sister.  
  
"Hello, Michael, nice to see you too," CJ said, managing to smile a little.  
  
"Well come on in." He opened the door wider for them. "Hey sweetheart," he said when Hogan walked in the house. "How was the prom?"  
  
"Junior prom," Hogan said, correcting her father.  
  
"Right. How was it?"  
  
"Good." She looked at Simon who didn't look very happy at the fact that she didn't tell her father what had really happened.  
  
"Terrific," he said. He then saw Simon. "Oh, you must be CJ's new love." He shook Simon's hand while at the same time received a small punch in the stomach from CJ. "What was that for?"  
  
"My new love?! Grow up, Michael. Besides, I came here because I have to talk to you."  
  
He could see that his sister was rather serious. "Okay. Um, Hogan why don't you go put your stuff away and work on your term paper for your English class?"  
  
"Okay." She looked at CJ and Simon once more before going upstairs.  
  
Once she was up there, CJ turned to Michael. "Is Kate home?"  
  
"Yeah, she's in the living room, why?"  
  
"I'd like to talk to her for a minute," Simon said.  
  
Michael gave Simon a strange look "Okay..." He went into the living room and got Kate.  
  
"Simon, are you sure about this," CJ said quietly to Simon.  
  
"Very. I'm not going to let her hurt an innocent child--teenager."  
  
A couple minutes later a woman, about 5'5" walked into the foyer of the house. She was rather thin, brown hair, down to her shoulders.  
  
"Hello," she said in a polite manner. "My husband said you wanted to talk to me?" She said to Simon. She then saw CJ. "CJ, it's nice to see you again," she said crisply.  
  
"Ouch," Simon whispered.  
  
"Same here," CJ said, punching Simon in the stomach again. "Michael, can we go somewhere else if possible?"  
  
"Yeah, we'll go into the study." He led CJ into the study, leaving Simon and Kate in the foyer.  
  
"Why don't we go into the living room and talk," Simon said.  
  
"About what," Kate asked.  
  
"Let's just go into the living room, shall we?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. "Fine."  
  
"CJ, what is going on," Michael asked.  
  
CJ sat down in one of the chairs. "I'll get right to the point, Michael. Did you know that your wife has been, let's just say, not the nicest of people to your daughter?"  
  
He had a strange look on his face. "What are you talking about? Kate and Hogan get along great."  
  
"When was the last time you were in town for more than two weeks," she asked.  
  
"I don't remember, why?"  
  
"You haven't seen what she has done to your daughter, Michael! Kate has been...verbally abusing her! She has been favoring her daughter and treating Hogan like a piece of yesterday's garbage!"  
  
"CJ you have no right to tell me that. My wife would never do that to anyone. Ever!"  
  
"Oh really? When's the last time you had an actual conversation with Hogan? When's the last time you actually looked deep into her eyes and saw the pain she's in?"  
  
"Stop telling me how to take care of my daughter, Claudia," he said in a cold tone.  
  
"Then start acting like a real father, damnit!" She yelled. "You have never given her the love and affection she needs, especially after what happened with Anna," she said in a softer voice. "It's as if you're avoiding her. And because of that, she's letting Kate abuse her!"  
  
Michael sat down in the other chair. "CJ, I love my daughter very much. I would never let anything happen to her."  
  
Meanwhile, in the living room, Simon tried to find a starting point. "I have a question for you."  
  
"And that is," she said.  
  
"Do you love Hogan?"  
  
Kate rolled her eyes. "Of course I love her. She's my step daughter."  
  
"Then why do you yell her and hit her," he asked, getting to the point.  
  
"Excuse me?!"  
  
"You heard me. Why do you hit her?"  
  
"I do not hit her, nor do I yell at her!" Kate stood from where she was sitting. "I will not take this...this interrogation! I don't know what the brat has been telling you, but--"  
  
"Brat?" Simon said, pointedly.  
  
Kate sat back down.  
  
"Wake up and smell the coffee, Michael! She feels as if you don't love her anymore!"  
  
"CJ, I'd appreciate it if you left now," Michael said, toneless. He opened the door and led her out of the den. "Kate, our guests are going to be leaving now," he said, more towards Simon.  
  
"Michael, please listen to me..."  
  
"Claudia, I can handle things just fine here, thank you very much. I'll see you later." He led the two outside and closed the door.  
  
"Well that went well," CJ said sarcastically.  
  
"I almost got her," Simon said.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"She called her a brat while asking me what she has been telling us."  
  
CJ put a hand through her hair. "What are we going to do?"  
  
"I think I may have an idea. Come on." He led her to the car.  
  
Hogan, in the meantime had closed her door so she wouldn't hear the yelling. She tried to focus on her paper when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and to her room.  
  
"May I come in," Kate asked.  
  
"I guess," Hogan said quietly.  
  
Kate entered the room and closed the door. "What are you trying to do here? Make me look like an idiot?"  
  
"What? I didn't--"  
  
She was stopped by the impact of Kate's hand slapping her. "If I ever hear you say anything to anyone, you will regret it," she said, bitterly. She then walked out of the room, leaving Hogan there, now in tears. She packed up her backpack with what she needed for school and a separate bag for clothing and other personal items. She opened the window to her room and threw her things down on the ground, which was not too far down and then climbed down the tree that was near her window. She picked up her things and walked away from her house.  
  
TBC.... 


	9. 9

CJ paced nervously across the living room, giving Simon a rather big dizzy spell. "What are we going to do? I mean, Michael has always taken my advice. Always." She stopped and looked at Simon with fear in her eyes.  
  
He looked at her. "Well first of all, child abuse is very much against the law. I can easily have Kate arrested, but.  
  
"But what?" She walked over to him.  
  
"But it would most likely be taken to court and Hogan would have to testify."  
  
She shook her head. "No. I don't want her have to do that. It'll be too traumatic on her. I mean hasn't she had enough trauma to last a lifetime?"  
  
Just then, there was a knock at the door.  
  
"I'll get it," Simon said. "You sit down and quit pacing. You're going to make me throw up with all that pacing."  
  
She sighed and sat down on the sofa.  
  
He went to the door and opened it, only to be very surprised at who was there. "Hogan?! What are you doing here?"  
  
She didn't say anything. She just stood there as if her life had been sucked out of her.  
  
"Hogan, what happened," Simon asked when he saw the bruise on her face.  
  
No answer.  
  
CJ stood up. "Hogan, honey what happened," she asked, rushing over to her niece. She then saw the bruise. "Oh my G-d. Did she do this to you?"  
  
Hogan still didn't answer. She just stood there for a moment before looking CJ and Simon in the eyes and began to cry.  
  
Simon put his hand on her back and led her into the apartment and sat her down and held her as if she was his daughter. "Shh, it's okay. You're safe."  
  
CJ sat down on the other side of her and rubbed her back. "Sweetie, you know you're safe here, right?"  
  
Hogan looked up at the two, still crying and slightly nodded.  
  
"Can you tell us what happened," Simon asked.  
  
She sniffled and tried to speak. "A-After you left. S-She came into my room and. and." She touched her face where Kate had slapped her.  
  
"Oh dear Lord," CJ said quietly.  
  
"I ran away," Hogan whispered hoarsely. "I don't want to go back."  
  
"You know you can stay here as long as you need to," CJ said in a comforting manner. "You're always welcome here, but something has to be done. Have you told your father yet?"  
  
"I didn't get a chance to. I left before he came upstairs. Besides, he wouldn't have cared anyway," she said, beginning to cry again.  
  
"Hogan," Simon said as he looked at her, "You know that we have to tell him. She can't continue to do this to you. I don't want to scare you, but if she does this enough and with enough force, she could hurt you pretty badly. Even." He stopped himself before he upset her anymore.  
  
"He's right," CJ said.  
  
Before Hogan could protest, the telephone rang.  
  
CJ walked over to the phone and answered it. "Hello?"  
  
"Where is she, Claudia," Michael asked.  
  
"Michael, I can assure that she is--"  
  
"That is not what I asked! Is she with you? Is she?"  
  
She took a deep breath before answering. "Yes, she is. And would you like to know why?" She said, her voice rising.  
  
"Why's that? Because she thinks that you and '007' are her only comfort?"  
  
"G-d damnit, Michael! Your wife has been abusing her! How can you be so blind as to not see that?"  
  
He took a breath. "Claudia, why must you try to make Kate out to be the bad guy here? All she has done for Hogan is cared for her and make sure she is safe."  
  
"Yeah, safely keeping the secret that she's hitting her!" CJ took a deep breath. "If you don't do anything about it right now, and I mean *now*, I am going to call the cops. Do you hear me, Michael?"  
  
"Look, just because you never got married and had kids doesn't mean you can do whatever you want with mine! You had better bring her back right now." His voice began to rise with anger.  
  
"Fine, have it your way," she said evenly. She hung up the phone and looked over at a terrified Hogan in Simon's arms.  
  
"Aunt CJ, what are you going to do," she asked, quivering.  
  
"Well first of all, I'm going to call the cops. Then I'm going to call Toby."  
  
Simon gave her a look. "Why are you going to call Toby?"  
  
"This is going to become a story, and I don't want it to."  
  
He nodded. "I had better get some sort of background information on Kate. The court will want it. In the meantime, I think the safest thing to do is have Hogan stay here and get some sort of restraining order from Kate. and Michael."  
  
"No! I love my dad. I don't want to see him get hurt!"  
  
"He isn't going to get hurt, Hogan. Not physically anyway. The only person who is going to get hurt is Kate. I--we are going to make sure that she never lays another finger on you."  
  
Hogan nodded slowly. "Okay."  
  
CJ picked up the phone once more and called the police. After explaining to them what had been happening, she called Toby.  
  
"She what?!" Was his response.  
  
"Thank you for keeping cool," CJ said, aggravated.  
  
"Well it's not everyday I get a call from someone saying that their niece has been abused by her mother."  
  
"Step-mother," she corrected him.  
  
"Whatever. Anyway, I'll make sure it doesn't become anything."  
  
"Thank you, Toby," CJ said. "I have to go and get a few things from the house now. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Yeah...good luck."  
  
"Yeah." She hung up the phone and looked over at the two.  
  
"The police will be there when you get there," Simon said as he put his cell phone away, having made a few calls himself. I'm going to stay here, if that's okay." He looked at Hogan.  
  
"Yes, it is. Thank you." She said quietly as she wiped her eyes again.  
  
He then looked at CJ. "Okay with you?"  
  
She nodded, "Yes. I can't tell you how much this means to me."  
  
"Go," he said with a small smile. "We'll be just fine here."  
  
"Okay." She walked over to Hogan and kissed her forehead. "It's going to be all right."  
  
Hogan nodded.  
  
CJ took a deep breath and stood up. "Well, here I go." She walked to the door and left the apartment, leaving Simon and Hogan.  
  
"Is she going to be okay," Hogan asked.  
  
"Yes," he said, reassuring her. "She'll be just fine." He paused. "And so will you." He remained by her side as if he was protecting her from a stalker.  
  
CJ got out of her car and began to walk to the front door of the house when she saw the police. "Here we go," she said as she cautiously rang the doorbell.  
  
TBC...... 


	10. 10

"Claudia," Michael said as he opened the door only to see her and a few policemen with her.  
  
"This is for your own good, Michael," CJ said as she walked into the house. "You said you never wanted to see anyone in your family get hurt. Well, guess what. One of your family members got hurt. And you know whose fault that is?" She looked pointedly at him.  
  
"Don't you dare say that it's my fault that she acts out sometimes."  
  
"What the hell is going on here?!" Kate yelled from the other room.  
  
"I am doing your step-daughter a favor," CJ said flatly. "You touch her again, you will never see the light of day again. I'll make sure of that."  
  
"Get out of my house," Michael said as he walked into the room in which CJ and Kate and a couple of police officers were. "And bring my daughter back here. Now."  
  
"Sorry, Michael, but she doesn't feel safe here," CJ said. She started to walk out the door.  
  
"I'll have you arrested! She is not your daughter!"  
  
"Well you are acting as if she isn't your daughter either! G-d, Michael. I thought you were going to protect her against things like this. Looks like I was wrong. If she wants to see you, then I'll bring her over here, but unless she is arrested, don't count on it."  
  
"Bring her back. Now." He said, his voice low and full of disgust.  
  
She didn't say anything. She simply looked at him and walked out of the house. She walked up to one of the officers. "So what are you going to do?"  
  
"Nothing, ma'am," he said.  
  
"What?! But she has been abusing my niece!"  
  
"There is no evidence to prove that anything has been happening here. All I can see is that your niece ran away. We can't arrest her mother--"  
  
"Step-mother."  
  
"We can't arrest her unless we have concrete evidence of abuse. I'm sorry."  
  
"Not half as sorry as I am." CJ walked to her car and drove back to her apartment.  
  
"Ha! I beat you again," Hogan said as she showed Simon her piece of paper.  
  
"That's not fair. How can you make fifteen words out of 'President?'"  
  
She shrugged. "I'm talented."  
  
"Yes, yes you are." He smiled and was about to count the number of words he wrote down when CJ walked through the door.  
  
"CJ?" Simon said as she came through the door. "How did it go?"  
  
She took a deep breath, not wanting to scare Hogan. "Fine," she said in a monotone voice. She walked to her room.  
  
Simon looked at Hogan. "I'll be right back, okay?"  
  
"Okay," she said, getting nervous about what had happened.  
  
"Hey, it's all right. Your aunt and I have everything under control, okay?"  
  
She nodded. "Okay."  
  
He walked into CJ's room. "What happened? Did they arrest her?"  
  
She shook her head. "No. They said there wasn't enough evidence. What's even worse is the fact that my brother now basically hates me and will probably never speak to me again and doesn't believe anything about what happened." She wiped her eyes.  
  
He sat down beside her. "Well, I guess that we'll keep Hogan with us for a few days." He didn't even realize he said 'us.'  
  
"Yeah. But he said that he wanted me to bring her back to him right away or he is probably going to get me arrested. G-d, Simon, how the hell did this happen?" She looked up at him.  
  
Hogan walked from the living room to the doorway of CJ's room and listened to what she was saying. 'My fault,' she thought to herself. "This is all my fault," she said aloud. She wiped her eyes and went to the guest room and lay down on the bed and started to cry softly.  
  
"What do I tell Hogan," CJ said softly. "I mean, I can't just go and say, 'your dad doesn't believe anything I have said about you getting abused by your step-mother."  
  
"Maybe that *is* what you have to tell her." Simon rubbed her back. "It'll be all right, CJ. I promise."  
  
"Can you tell her? Please?"  
  
He thought for a moment before saying anything. "Yeah, I'll tell her. But you have to promise to talk to her as well. You are her aunt, after all."  
  
"Yeah. Thanks."  
  
"No problem." He kissed the top of her head and went to the living room, only to find that no one was there. He walked back to the guest room. "Hey there. Mind if I come in?"  
  
"It's not my house," Hogan said in a muffled voice since her face was in the pillow.  
  
He walked into the room and sat down on the bed. "Come on, cheer up. You get to stay here for a few days, maybe longer. How cool is that?"  
  
She looked up at him. "You don't get it! My father hates me now! He is never going to believe me about her hitting me. He is defending her! I have no place to live anymore. I'm an orphan." She started to cry again.  
  
Simon put his arm around her and tried to comfort her. "Listen to me. You will always have a home. It may not always be with your dad but you have your aunt who is more than willing to take you in." He put his other arm around her and hugged her. "Do you know that?"  
  
She nodded a little, "I guess. But what happens if he comes looking for me?"  
  
"That's the other thing. CJ and I were thinking about getting some sort of restraining order. Just until this whole mess gets worked out."  
  
She shook her head. "I don't want any of that. I just want to go home and pretend this never happened. I don't care if she is going to hit me again. I don't care anymore!"  
  
"Yes, you do care, Hogan. You do." He said firmly. "I know you love your dad. And that's okay. He is your dad after all, but if he is just going to go on pretending none of this ever happened, I don't think it's a good idea for you to stay there. Not now at least. Okay?"  
  
"Okay," she said softly. She sniffled and rested her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."  
  
"You're welcome." He looked up and saw CJ in the doorway.  
  
"Mind if I have a go?" She walked into the room and knelt down in front of Hogan. "I love you. And I'm only doing this to protect you. Do you understand, honey?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess."  
  
"Good." CJ kissed her head. "There is just one other thing that you are going to have to do."  
  
"What's that?"  
  
"Testify."  
  
"What?! No! I can't. All that will happen is she will lie about everything and they will win and I'll have--"  
  
"Whoa, slow down there. Nothing has been decided yet. For now, though, you are going to stay here. We will talk about all this court stuff later, okay?"  
  
"Okay."  
  
CJ sat down on the other side of her and looked at Simon, hoping this was the right thing to do.  
  
TBC... 


	11. 11

CJ shut the door behind her. "Ready," she asked Hogan.  
  
"I guess." She looked down at the ground. She didn't want to testify against her father, but knew that it would be the only way for him to see that Kate really was hurting her.  
  
"Let's go," Simon said, opening the car door for Hogan and then for CJ.  
  
When they arrived at the courthouse, Hogan immediately spotted her father. She hoped he didn't see her so that she could simply sneak in without him yelling at her. She managed to hide behind both CJ and Simon.  
  
"What's going on," Simon asked.  
  
"He's here and I don't want him to see me."  
  
"Well you know he's going to once we get inside, right?"  
  
"Yeah but there will be a judge in there so he won't be able to say anything without permission first." She took a deep breath, trying to hold back her tears.  
  
"And furthermore," their attorney continued, "She has been abusing the child for over a year now. From what the plaintiff told me, it has been ever since her father married her back in 2000."  
  
"Objection!" The defense shouted. "There is no evidence that she has ever hit the child. I have yet to see anything, your honor!"  
  
"We're going to be in here forever," Hogan moaned to CJ.  
  
"No we're not. You'll see." She gave her a small smile.  
  
"Your honor, I would like to call Miss Hogan Cregg to the stand." Her attorney said.  
  
Hogan stood up and slowly walked to the stand without looking at her father. She stood in front of the chair as the bailiff swore her in.  
  
"Hogan," the attorney began, "When did your father and step-mother first meet?"  
  
"Christmas Eve in 1998."  
  
"And what did you think of her?"  
  
She took a deep breath and looked over in their direction. "She was nice. She told me that she wasn't going to try to take my mom's place or anything like that."  
  
"When did she begin to hit you?"  
  
"Objection!"  
  
"Sustained. Please re-word your question, Mr. Reilly." The judge said.  
  
"When did you begin to notice a change in her," he asked.  
  
"A few months after they were married. She was always giving her daughter everything she wanted. When it was my birthday, she didn't do anything for me. I didn't even get a card from her. All I wanted was love from her, or at least respect. But she just yelled at me any time I needed something."  
  
"Can you give us an example?"  
  
"There was this one morning last year when I felt really sick. I wanted to stay home from school. I tried to tell her that I had a fever, but she just rushed me out the door. So I went to school."  
  
"And what happened?"  
  
"I got sick. So the school called her to come pick me up, which she did. She took me home and then."  
  
"Then what? It's okay Hogan. No one's going to hurt you here."  
  
She looked over at Simon and CJ who nodded at her to keep going. "She took my arm and dragged me to my room and then slapped me." She could feel tears starting to fall down her cheek. "She said that I was an embarrassment to her and that I humiliated her in front of the school."  
  
Michael looked over at his wife. "Is this true," he whispered.  
  
"She's exaggerating," she said without looking at him.  
  
"Has there ever been any other time when she has hit you?"  
  
"Yes. nearly everyday." She looked down at her feet.  
  
"Hogan, the defense doesn't seem to believe you that she has ever hit you. Can you prove that they are wrong?"  
  
"Yes, I can." She rolled up her sleeve to reveal a rather large mark on her arm. "Two nights ago, she did this."  
  
"I have no further questions, your honor," Mr. Reilly said.  
  
"Mr. Quincy, do you care to cross-examine?"  
  
"Yes, your honor. Thank you." He stood and walked over to Hogan. "Tell me, Hogan. Do you love your father?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then don't you think he would have stopped your step- mother from hitting you, if she even has hit you?"  
  
"He is never home. He's always on business trips or is working at the office until midnight. He never sees."  
  
"Exactly. He never sees this. So if you love him so much, how do you expect him to believe you?"  
  
"I. I don't. I just want him to hear what I have to say."  
  
"I see. So what you're..." Michael who called him over to where he was sitting stopped him.  
  
Hogan looked over at CJ and Simon. She had fear in her eyes, but somehow the two managed to make her feel better, just by being there for her.  
  
"Your honor, it seems that Mr. Cregg believe his daughter to be lying."  
  
The judge looked down at Hogan. "You do know that it is wrong to lie, right?"  
  
"Yes, but I wasn't lying! I am telling the truth." She looked over at her father. "You just don't want to hear the truth! You're nothing but a coward! I hate you!"  
  
"Hogan, stop this right now," the judge said.  
  
"The only people that are lying are the two of them!" She pointed to her father and Kate. "He won't listen to me and she is just denying everything!"  
  
"Your honor, would it be at all possible for my client to step down? It is obvious that she is too upset to speak right now." Mr. Reilly said.  
  
"Yes, you may step down, Hogan. Let's take a thirty- minute recess."  
  
She ran over to CJ and Simon. "I'm sorry," She cried as she held onto CJ for dear life.  
  
"It's okay, you did a great job up there. I probably would have just run out of the court room if it were me up there and I was your age."  
  
"I didn't mean to start yelling at him, I didn't, honest!" She continued to cry.  
  
"I know that. We know that," she said, motioning to Simon who took Hogan's hand.  
  
"She's right, you know. I know you would never lie. And I know you had a good reason to be angry. So don't apologize when you know it isn't necessary, okay?"  
  
"Okay." She said quietly.  
  
After the trial....  
  
"I have made my decision," the judge said, coming back out. "Since it appears that Mr. Cregg and his wife seem to have no care whatsoever about the child, I am giving full custody to Claudia Jean Cregg. Mr. Cregg will have visitation rights every weekend, but is not to be accompanied by Ms. Handler."  
  
"What," Hogan said in disbelief.  
  
"You are now living with your aunt, young lady," the judge said.  
  
She nodded and looked at CJ and Simon and smiled.  
  
"Court dismissed," the judge said.  
  
As they were walking out of the courtroom, Michael came up to Hogan. "You be good, you hear? I'll make sure to come visit you," he said in a monotone voice.  
  
"Okay." Hogan gave him a hug and then walked out of the courthouse with CJ and Simon. "So."  
  
"So what," CJ asked.  
  
"Does this mean you're going to get married?" She smiled at the two."  
  
"What?!"  
  
"Well you two already act like a husband and a wife would act. Why not just finish it off?"  
  
"Let's go home," CJ said, laughing a little.  
  
At Home....  
  
"Finally," CJ said. "I thought she would never fall asleep."  
  
"CJ, I've been thinking," Simon said from the sofa in the living room.  
  
"About what?"  
  
"About how much I love you. CJ, I think you are the most beautiful woman I have ever met. You're kind, loving, you seem to make a great mother."  
  
"What is it?" She wiped a few tears from her eyes.  
  
"Will you marry me?" He took out a small box that had a ring inside.  
  
"Oh my gosh." CJ just looked at the diamond ring and smiled. "Yes, I'll marry you."  
  
He slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. "You have just made me the happiest man in the world."  
  
"I knew it!" Hogan said, running into the living room. She put her arms around CJ and Simon. "See, now we can be a family."  
  
"Yes, I guess we can," CJ said, kissing Hogan's head and smiling at Simon. "Thank you."  
  
"For what?"  
  
"For lending me a hand when I needed it."  
  
"Anything for the woman I love." He smiled and kissed her again.  
  
THE END 


End file.
